Philippa
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "lover of horses".
Name Census estimates that about 1,481 living Americans carry the first name Philippa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Philippa today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Philippa births was 2022 (75 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Philippa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.5K
~ 1 in 231,434 Americans
Peak year
2022
75 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,641
Tracked since 1910
Popularity
Philippa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Philippa from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 562 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Philippa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Philippa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Philippa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Philippas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. New York, California, Virginia recorded the most babies named Philippa, while Washington, Pennsylvania, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 30 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Philippa
The name Philippa has its roots in ancient Greek, derived from the masculine name Philippos, which means "lover of horses." It is a compound of the Greek words philos, meaning "lover" or "friend," and hippos, meaning "horse." The name gained popularity during the Hellenistic period and was later adopted by the Romans.
The earliest known bearer of the name Philippa was Philippa of Geldria, who lived in the 13th century. She was a Dutch noblewoman and the wife of King Edward III of England. Their marriage in 1328 helped establish the name's prominence in England and other parts of Europe.
Another notable figure in history was Philippa of Hainault, who lived from 1314 to 1369. She was the Queen of England as the wife of King Edward III and played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
In the 14th century, Philippa de Coucy, a French noblewoman, was celebrated for her beauty and intelligence. She lived from around 1355 to 1411 and was known for her influential literary works and patronage of the arts.
Philippa Chaucer, born around 1336, was the daughter of the renowned English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. She was a significant figure in her own right, serving as a lady-in-waiting to several English queens and holding influential positions at the royal court.
Philippa of Lancaster, born in 1359, was a member of the English royal family and played a crucial role in the Hundred Years' War. She was the Queen of Portugal through her marriage to King John I and helped strengthen the alliance between England and Portugal.
Throughout history, the name Philippa has been associated with nobility, intelligence, and literary accomplishments. While its origins are ancient Greek, it has been embraced by various cultures and continues to be a popular choice for parents in many parts of the world.
People
Philippa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Philippa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Philippa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Philippa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,481 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Philippa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 231,434 US residents.
Is Philippa a common name?
We classify Philippa as "Rare". It ranks above 92.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,753 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Philippa most popular?
The single biggest year for Philippa was 2022, when 75 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Philippa is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Philippa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Philippa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.